LOS ANGELES  In the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, the History Channel proved the winner.

A miniseries about the warring families set basic cable viewing records, according to Nielsen Co. figures the History Channel released Thursday.

The channel says the three nights of Hatfields & McCoys were the top-rated entertainment telecasts ever for ad-supported basic cable.

Wednesdays finale of Hatfields & McCoys was the most-watched of the three nights, with 14.3 million viewers. According to the History Channel, that makes it the No. 1 non-sports and non-news program ever on ad-supported cable.

The miniseries starred Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton as the patriarchs of the West Virginia and Kentucky clans whose violent clashes had roots in the American Civil War.